Relax and win. That’s the concept behind a new exhibit at Orlando’s WonderWorks attraction on International Drive.
Instead of activity and adrenalin, Mindball demands calmness as it measures a participant’s ability to relax. The goal is to be more relaxed than your opponent in order to move a physical ball away from you into your opponent’s goal. You win by relaxing!
This technology is used as a training tool for cadets at The U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Officers are trained not only to be alert but also to control their thought process and remain calm in high-pressure situations.
Similarly, Mindball records and examines each participants’ brain waves and whoever achieves the level of least stress wins.
On the game table, top a rubber-coated steel ball moves back and forth during the game. Players wear headbands containing electrodes which are constantly measuring their brains’ EEG (brainwave activity). Players use their Alpha and Theta brainwaves to control the rubber-coated steel ball and mentally “push” the ball across the table into the opponent’s goal and score a point. Alpha and Theta waves are strongest when a person is calm and relaxed, or concentrating intently.
The players and the audience can follow the mental process during a game as the players’ brain wave activity is presented graphically on a 52-inch monitor.
